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 Welcome to the Tampa Alcohol Coalition

Are You Concerned About Underage Drinking and Impaired Driving?

Tampa Alcohol Coalition's (TAC) mission is to prevent underage drinking and impaired driving. Get involved- come to a TAC meeting to learn more about underage drinking, impaired driving, responsible vendor training, and safe rides. Network with other concerned citizens- including parents, students, university administrators, business owners and law enforcement officers.

Go to Events for TAC monthly meeting dates, locations and times. To contact TAC, click here.

 

Upcoming TAC Meetings

January 19th at 3:00 pm at Tampa Police Department, District 2.

February 16th at Tampa Police Department, District 2 at 3:00 pm

Check out the latest edition of our 2009_Alcohol_and_Drug_Indicators Report

 

Florida Alcohol Laws

Are you up to date on Florida's alcohol laws? Click here for the current Florida alcoholic beverage statutes.  Do you know the penalties for driving under the influence in Florida? Click here for a link to Florida DUI laws

   

You've Had a Few Drinks- Should You Drive?

Here are some choices:

A. Drive impaired, get the "$9,000 Drink": Ride in the back of a cop car to jail, get your driver's license suspended and your car impounded,  attend DUI school, pay fines and thousands of dollars to a DUI attorney, pay high risk insurance rates, have a criminal record, lose job opportunities, blow into an ignition interlock device every time you want to start your car.

B. Drive impaired, total your car and kill someone, get charged with DUI manslaughter,  become a convicted felon, go to prison up to 15 years, lose your driver's license for life, live with the knowledge that you killed an innocent person and permanently damaged the lives of your own family and the victim's friends and family.

C. Don't drive; get a safe ride with a designated sober driver, take a cab or call Zingo.

 

C is the correct answer! In Hillsborough County, almost 6,000 people were arrested for DUI in 2008, and 1,414 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes in 2007, more than any other county in the state. Don't take the risk of ruining your life and other people's lives- if you drink, don't drive. Plan ahead- think before you drink. Make the smart, responsible  choice: Don't drive impaired- use a sober designated driver, get a ride from a sober friend, spend the night, take a cab, or use Zingo designated driver service.

 

Click on the link to view the "Don't Drink and Drive" ad sponsored by TAC/ HCADA that ran on WTOG 44, featuring the story of John Templeton's DUI crash that took the life of Julie Buchner: Don't Drink and Drive (wmv file)

      For a Safe Ride, Call ZINGO at 888-ZINGO-11

 

Zingo and the HCSO SAVE program in the News!

St. Petersburg Times article: MacDinton's Bar, Zingo Team up to Keep Impaired Drivers off the Road. Customers still pack the popular bar on weekends, but MacDinton's co-owner Barry O'Connor said they tend to choose happy hour specials and well drinks these days over top-shelf splurges. And, with the recession lingering and purse strings tightening, he worried that fewer would be willing to spend the extra money if they needed a ride home. The solution? The S Howard Avenue bar has partnered with the designated-driver company Zingo to zip intoxicated customers home — on the bar's dime. Read article in the SPT

   

2009 Alcohol Policy

On the local level, several coalitions were successful in advocating for alcohol-related ordinances:

          Type of Ordinance                                                        County or City

• Restriction of persons under age 21 from bars-  Palm Beach County, Broward County, Boca Raton

• Permit required for bars to remain open past midnight- Oakland Park, Sunrise

• Civil sanctions for illegal open house parties-  Winter Park

To read the individual ordinances, go to www.municode.com and click on "on-line library" and search for the specific city or county.

 

Click here for a summary of local policy successes.

 

Gasparilla Safety Update

The City of Tampa, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and EventFest collaborated with neighborhood groups, TAC, University of Tampa and the schools to help make the Gasparilla Day Parade a safer event.

Article in the St. Petersburg Times on May 8th: Gaparilla Parade changes please most of the crowd at the Hyde Park meeting

 

Profile of Alcohol and Drug Indicators for Hillsborough County

University of South Florida researchers Dr. Kathleen Moore and Dr. Scott Young conducted a community substance abuse assessment of Hillsborough County for the Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance.  Click here to view a pdf file of the 2008 Profile of Alcohol and Drug Indicators

 

The Megan Napier Foundation http://themeagannapierfoundation.com/

 

Hillsborough County Sheriff's SAVE Program in the News!

 

 

Sheriff David Gee spoke about the Sheriff's Alcohol Vendor's Enforcement program at the February 24th TAC meeting. Each year, the Sheriff presents a plaque to the vendor who has participated in the SAVE program and has shown improvement in their responsible vendor polices and practices. This year, Sean Rice, the owner of O'Brien's Irish Pub in Brandon was awarded the recognition plaque. Link to the ABC Action News story on this event.  Find out more about SAVE: Hillsborough County Sheriff's SAVE Program link

 

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

 

Going Out to Party? Find a Sober Ride!

Don't become a statistic. Designate a driver or call a cab if you drink alcoholic beverages while you are out on the town. AAA provides Tow to Go; call 1-800-AAA-HELP(222-4357). Tow to Go will provide you a ride and your car will be towed safely home on holidays. Bay News 9 story on Tow to Go. Another option is Zingo. Zingo provides a driver who comes to you on a motorized scooter. The driver folds up the scooter, placing it in your trunk, then drives you safely home. St. Petersburg Times story on Zingo. Need a Zingo driver? Call 1-888-946-4611 or go to Zingo Tampa

 

Has your drinking led to health, legal, social or financial problems?

If you want to stop drinking, there is a world of help and support available. Call Alcoholics Anonymous at 813-933-9123 or go to the website for meeting times/ locations in the Tampa area: Tri-County Central Office of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

Open House Party Led to Fatality

 

Recipes for the Road 2008- Holiday Alcohol-Free Drink Recipes

Recipes for the Road 2008 is now available. Click here for a pdf file copy of Recipes for the Road 2008. This booklet is produced by FDOT District 7. It has many alcohol-free drink recipes from Bay area restaurants and bars. Recipes for the Road is designed for holidays, events and parties, to offer tasty alcohol free drinks to guests, especially those who are driving. The booklet has safety messages- including MADD Hillsborough "Tie One for Safety", AAA "Tow to Go" and an underage drinking prevention message from TAC.

 

Tampa Bay Teen Drivers Have the Highest Fatal Crash Rate in the US

A report released by Allstate in December 2008 ranked Tampa/ St Petersburg/ Clearwater as #1 metro area in the country in crash fatalities involving drivers aged 15 to 19 during the holidays. And it's not just during holidays; insurance statistics released in November identified Tampa Bay teen drivers as having the highest rate of crash fatalities out of the 100 largest metro areas in the US from 2000- 2006.

See article in the Tampa Tribune

Allstate Press Release on Holiday Teen Driving Hotspots study

 

Why age 21?

The Amethyst Initiative advocates for opening a debate about the legal drinking age. A group  130 college presidents have signed on to this initiative, because they say the 21 drinking age "is not working". The Initiative suggests that lowering the drinking age might help reduce high risk drinking  and encourage "more responsible" drinking by persons under the age of 21. But, research shows that when the drinking age was lowered to 18 years old in many states in the 70's, there was an increase in teen binge drinking and a jump in alcohol related injuries and fatalities in the 16 to 20 year old age group. Then in the 1980's, when the age was increased to 21, binge drinking and alcohol-related crash rates fell. TAC supports the minimum drinking age of 21 because it saves lives. The Amethyst Initiative and the resulting media coverage gives coalitions a great opportunity to advocate for more effective science-based strategies to prevent high-risk drinking.

 

AGE 21 RESOURCES

• Lower the National Drinking Age? The Debate May Be On. This story includes an interview of Ellen Snelling, TAC co-chair, who supports the 21 drinking age.

• Age 21 Minimum Drinking Age Quick Stats- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• An Examination of the Criticisms of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 Laws in the United States from a Traffic-Safety Perspective (This paper summarizes the research  that supports the 21 drinking age and offers responses to common arguments against the 21 MLDA)

• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety- In Support of the 21 Drinking Age

• D.O.E. Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention regarding the Minimum Legal Drinking Age: Frequently Asked Questions

• Letter to the Editor of the Tampa Tribune "Don't Lower the Drinking Age"

• Tampa Tribune Editorial "Lowering the Drinking Age Won't Solve the Binge drinking Problem."

• Chicago Tribune editorial "Keep the Drinking Age at 21".

• MADD web site: Why 21?

• News Story on My Fox Tampa Bay "Time to Lower the Drinking Age?" (TAC weighs in)

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office "BATmobile" Breath Testing vehicle is ready for action at the June 20, 2008 DUI checkpoint hosted by Tampa Police Department on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. See Events for photos from the July 4th DUI Checkpoint in Tampa. Click for HCSO Calendar for dates of upcoming DUI checkpoints and saturations.

 

 

Ignition Interlock Devices

Watch this video produced by Mothers Against Drunk Driving Florida to support the ignition interlock legislation: Grace's Law

Ignition Interlocks- how a device can stop impaired driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants ignition Interlocks to be mandatory for all convicted DUI offenders. The devices are installed in cars to stop motorists from driving drunk. Ignition interlocks require the driver to blow into them to start the car. If the driver's BAC is too high, the car won't start.

 

For more information on alcohol legislation and policy go to: www.myfcap.org

 

Please Don't Drink and Drive

If you drink, don't drive. Make sure you have a designated driver or arrange for a safe ride home- call a taxi or a sober friend. Driving impaired is dangerous and can be expensive. Learn about the.$9,000 Drink- what a night of drinking can cost you (tbt article)

Other Options:

AAA Tow to Go- if you have too much to drink on holidays, call Tow to Go

1-800-AAA-HELP for a safe ride home, and get your car towed home too. In Tampa, Tow to Go is sponsored by AAA and Pepin Distributing. Another choice for a safe ride is Zingo Tampa- a new designated driver program in Tampa. Call 888-ZINGO-11. The Zingo driver arrives on a scooter which folds up and is placed in your car trunk. The Zingo driver drives you home in your own car, then takes off on his scooter. St. Petersburg Times article about  Zingo Tampa.

 

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office S.A.V.E. program- working with alcohol vendors to save lives. The Sheriff's Office, Tampa Alcohol Coalition and Pepin Distributing collaborated to hold a symposium on responsible beverage service for bar owners and mangers. See news story featured on WTVT FOX News on March 4, 2008

 

Alcohol Policy- Hot Topics

Currently, 18- 20 year-olds are allowed to patronize bars in Florida, even though the minimum drinking age is 21. Fourteen cities and counties have enacted ordinances to ban persons under the age of 21 from bars. Here are recent articles on this topic:

• Boca Raton Makes Bars, Nightclubs off-limits to under-21

• Palm Beach County passes ordinance to enhance security measures and ban persons under age 21 from nightclubs. Article in the Sun Sentinel December 17, 2008

• The City of Cape Coral passed an age 21 ordinance in January 2008.

• The City of Sunrise approved a Patron Age Restriction ordinance in February 2008. Here is a link to the ordinance: City of Sunrise Patron Age Restriction

Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa Donates $5,000 to Tampa Alcohol Coalition

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa made a donation of $5,000 to TAC. The check was presented by Seminole Hard Rock Tampa president John Fontana at the May 20th TAC meeting. The donation will be used to support alcohol law enforcement programs including the Sheriff's Alcohol Vendor Program, Operation 3D- Don't Drink and Drive, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco underage drinking operations as well as alcohol awareness programs for students and parents. TAC is appreciative of this very generous donation, and looks forward to a continued partnership with the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in our efforts to stop underage drinking and impaired driving.

 

Tampa Alcohol Coalition Joins Community Leaders to Oppose Scoop Bar and Grill in Tampa  October 2008

The owners of Scoop Orlando tried to open a sports bar in Tampa near the University of South Florida. Scoop Orlando is a popular bar and dance club near the University of Central Florida. Scoop offers free and cheap drink specials, drinking games and markets to college students, including those under age 21. There were over 200 calls for service to Scoop Orlando between January 2007 and September 2008, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Leaders from USF, the City of Temple Terrace, El Bethel Primitive Baptist Church and TAC opposed Scoop Orlando owners' request to open a sports bar on Fowler across from USF. At a public hearing on October 23rd,  The Tampa City Council voted 5 to 1 to deny Scoop Bar and Grill's alcohol permit. (Article in the Tampa Tribune)

 

Adults Cleared of Open House Party Charges   April 2008

What is the Open House Party statute? link to Florida Statute 856.015

An investigation resulted in two adults in Hillsborough County being charged with violating the "Open House Party" statute. Tara McEntarffer and Lamar Justice allegedly allowed an underage drinking party at their home. At the party, 17 year old Tyler Clark and other teens drank alcohol. Later, Tyler drove away in his car with seven other teens piled in and was involved in a crash. Tyler Clark was killed and several teens were seriously injured. The investigation initially determined the two adults allowed the teens to drink in their home, and they were charged with violating Florida statute 856.015.  But, Tara McEntarffer, 42, and her boyfriend, Lamar Justice, 42, were cleared of the open house party charges at their trial on April 11, 2008. See story on FOX 13 News and in the Tampa Tribune. The evidence and the testimonies of teens who were at the party on October 7, 2006  helped clear the couple of the charges. The teens who participated in the party at the McEntarffer home said the adults came home from a night out and told the teens to leave. The prosecutor could not prove that the adults were aware of the party and allowed it to go on, but argued that the couple should not have let the drinking teens drive away from the home in their cars. If convicted of the charges, the couple could have been fined up to $500 and sentenced to up to 60 days in jail.

                

Alcohol at Community Events

Gasparilla Day Parade 2007 - Powerpoint

A Sobering Thought - An opinion on underage drinking at the Gasparilla Parade in Tampa by Joe O'Neill

 

Hot Topics:

Alcopops

Learn about sweet tasting alcoholic beverages that are marketed towards young adults.

Teens More Likely to Binge on Hard Liquor

Recent research found that adult binge drinkers prefer beer, but teens who binge drink prefer hard liquor.

 

Keep Kids Alcohol Free